


What If

by Carol_Molliniere



Series: The Society of Weird Feelings [10]
Category: The Glass Scientists (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Smoking, Worry, also the cat is a real winner, lying out on the roof like a couple of anime protagonists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 16:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12821109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carol_Molliniere/pseuds/Carol_Molliniere
Summary: After Lanyon catches Archer and Griffin together, Archer does some thinking. Griffin tries to help.





	What If

**Author's Note:**

> Funny story. This story came about when a couple of friends and I made a TGS AU and decided to sink the Archer/Griffin ship in it. Of course I'm fine with it, but it made me wonder: would any incarnation of Archer and Griffin ever decide to stick together in the end?

“Eira! Eira!”

Griffin looked around the hallway of the topmost floor of the Society, and sighed. At this rate, he was going to have to check the roof for his cat. Normally Eira stayed close by Griffin's room when she went out for the night, so he didn't think she would go so far away. He huffed, and then looked towards the ladder to the roof. He guessed he had no other choice.

The next few minutes found Griffin climbing up the ladder to the roof and opening the trapdoor, before peeking out at the roof. It was silent, and the roof was bare of any equipment that any other Lodger might have left out overnight, save for some of Tweedy's lightning rods. Yet the sky was clear – there wasn't a cloud that could be discerned in the deep dark blue, and the moon was high and full.

Griffin didn't take the time to appreciate the sights before him, though, as he got up onto the roof, and looked around.

“Eira?” he called. “Where are you?”

A meow answered him. Griffin looked up, trying to detect where it was coming from. He stepped towards one of the chimneys, and looked down to see a familiar pair of white pointed ears peeking out from behind it.

Griffin stepped towards Eira, but Eira backed away, and he walked around the chimney – to find someone else lying on the roof.

Archer looked up at him, a lit cigarette in his mouth. His green eyes were a little tired, and he took the cigarette out of his mouth to exhale a puff of smoke skyward.

“Griffin,” Archer simply said.

Griffin walked towards Archer. Eira did as well, looking up at her owner as if waiting for him to say something. And he finally did, after a few seconds.

“I...thought you didn't smoke,” Griffin said, narrowing his eyes.

Archer tapped some ash off his cigarette. “Months ago, when I first met you, I thought you didn't drink.” He then put the cigarette back inside his mouth. “Do you want to lie here with me?”

In response, Griffin put his hands on his hips. “What're you doing out here with my cat?”

“Alright, first of all, I'm not doing anything with your cat.” Archer crossed his arms under his head. “Eira just always seems to know where to find me. I don't know why, she's your cat.”

Griffin sighed. “Figures.”

“And secondly,” Archer said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth again, “I'm just out here thinking about things.”

He blew out another puff. Griffin felt like he should pick up his cat and leave, but at the same time Archer's situation was admittedly a little enticing. What indeed, was the Society's resident botanical clockwork engineer doing out here, thinking? Archer wasn't the type to think so much about things, unless it truly bothered him.

And if it bothered Archer, then it bothered him too.

“Thinking about what?” he tried.

Archer smiled a little. The cigarette went back in his mouth. “Lie down with me, and I'll tell you.”

Griffin supposed he had no other choice. Besides, it wasn't like he was planning on getting a lot of sleep, anyway. Except he wanted to spend the hours on work, not melancholy. Or whatever Archer was experiencing right now. Nevertheless, he went and sat down beside Archer, before leaning his head down and lying on the roof.

Archer shifted a little, and reached for a box. “Cigarette?” he asked.

Griffin put a hand up in refusal. “I only smoke when I'm sitting up,” he replied. Archer nodded, and put the box down.

When he went back to his previous position, Griffin then glanced over at him. Archer's eyes were fixed on the sky once again.

“So, are you finally going to tell me what's bothering you?” Griffin finally asked.

Archer blinked. He reached for the cigarette in his mouth, and tapped it out thoughtfully. “Lanyon caught us, Griffin.”

“Is that it?” Griffin asked. “Lanyon and Jekyll talked, and it didn't seem like we were given any punishment, if what Jekyll said is anything to go by.”

“Yes, but...” Archer put his hand down and finally put out his cigarette against the concrete of the roof. “...What would have happened if we were punished?”

Griffin frowned. “I thought you were always the one who would tell us not to worry about things,” he said. “It's nothing now. We're safe.”

“For how much longer, Griffin?” Archer asked. “What if Lanyon had decided to tell the coppers about what we did? We'd be finished. We'd lose our chance at the Society! And even if we do survive, I'll–” he looked away. “–I'll lose you.”

That disturbed Griffin. He looked to Archer. “Hold on. Who-who said anything about you losing me?”

“After we're both disgraced, you'll want nothing to do with me,” Archer said. “We've only been together for a month, after all. Once Jekyll kicks us out, you'll go away, you won't even say goodbye to me. You'll be busy being brilliant and wonderful, and you'll-you'll forget all about me soon. Maybe you'll even meet a girl, and you'd get married, and–”

“Archer, stop.”

Archer looked at Griffin, for only a moment. It unnerved Griffin to see him with watery eyes.

“Listen, I don't know about everything else if we were punished – _if_ ,” he said, “but I'll never leave you.” He tried to smile. “I don't think it'll come to that, but I promise I'll never leave you.”

Archer sniffed. “Even if we get kicked out of the Society?”

Griffin shrugged. “I'll elope with you if you want.”

Instead of hearing a chuckle, Archer only sighed. “Trouble comes with that, too,” he said. “If we get together, then how long will it last? You say you'll never leave me, but...” He looked in the other direction. “I want you to not get tired of me, but you probably will; and I make bad decisions.”

“You don't make bad decisions,” Griffin cut in.

“Remember the betting pool?” Archer said.

“Oh, yeah.”

“See what I mean, Griffin?” Archer went on. “One of these days, you'll lose your temper with me because of something I did, we'll get into an argument, and you'll decide to leave. I mean, I want to believe it'll all work out, but – there's no happy ending for this sort of thing, is there?”

Griffin stared at Archer. Clearly those cigarettes he had been smoking were making him think too heavily. The other man then sniffled, and that was when Griffin propped himself onto his elbow to fully face Archer.

“You think I'll lose my temper with you just because I'm liable to fits of anger?” Griffin asked. “Because I won't. I'll...I'll try to control myself.”

“You lost your temper with me lots of times,” Archer said. “You had a fistfight with me once, you always make a scene, you're going to lose it with me one day and we're not going to recover.”

“But we always recovered before.” Griffin sighed out of his nose. “Archer, I know I'm a terrible person. I'm not always going to do right by you. However, that's no reason to dismiss what we have.”

“I'm not dismissing it.” Archer turned onto his side. “I'm just...worried. A lot.” He tried to laugh. “I know, it's silly. We've always worked things out before, but I don't know if in the future it'll be enough. I want us to stay together.”

Griffin sat up. Archer's voice was breaking.

“I want us to stay together too,” Griffin said quietly. “But I don't know how to help you if you keep shooting down every promise I make.”

“That's the thing – you make all these promises!” Archer raised his voice, almost painfully. “I don't know if you'll even keep them!”

Griffin threw his hands up. “What else am I bloody supposed to do?!” he asked. “I want you to feel better. Hell, I want to be the lover you deserve. But I just – I told you, I'm not a good person!” He looked down. God, tears were filling his eyes too. “You're the one that makes me feel like a good person. And if you're not convinced that I am anymore, well – all I can do is make promises and hope you'll be convinced again that I am good, because if you're convinced, I will be too!”

Archer looked at Griffin with angry green eyes. “Don't you dare say that, Griffin; I refuse to be treated like a crutch!” He sat up as well. “I don't want you to depend on me, I don't want you to expect I'll shower you with compliments all the time!”

“I don't expect that, I never expect that!” Griffin yelled back. “Someday you'll stop complimenting me anyway because I did some horrible shit to you, and I won't be taking it back because of how terrible I am, and then you will...” He stopped in his tracks. “...Leave me.”

Archer and Griffin stared at each other for a while, before Archer tried to laugh, running a hand through his hair.

“Oh, God,” he said, “we're so worried about leaving each other, aren't we?”

He laughed, before they quickly turned into sobs, tears now flowing freely down his face. “And we're fighting – again,” he said, his voice breaking once more. “How long is this going to happen?”

Griffin's heart stung when he saw Archer's tears. He reached a hand out, then looked down. What could he say? Archer continued to cry in front of him, but he was lost for words.

After a moment, Griffin scooted forward, and – he couldn't believe he was doing this – he wrapped Archer in a tight hug.

“Lord, Archer, I know I can't guarantee we won't fight, or that everything will be alright in the end,” Griffin finally managed to choke out. “But I know I never want to leave you!”

“What if that changes? What if we change our minds?” Archer said, in between watery breaths. “I don't want to leave you either, but what if that changes?”

Griffin held back his own tears. “Don't think about 'what if'. Look at me. I want to see your face.”

He pulled back, and moved his hands so that he was cupping Archer's face in his hands. Archer's face was still streaked with tears, mucus was dripping out of his nostrils, and he was still choking a little. But Griffin, in that moment, wouldn't trade that sight for any smiling or pretty or dry face. He wanted Archer.

“I love you, Christopher,” he said, as firmly as he could, trying to talk past the lump in his throat.

Archer swallowed. More tears fell. “You called me by my given name.”

“What else can I do?” Griffin asked. “Christopher, I love you. And even if I change my mind someday, I love you now.”

“Jack,” Archer tried. “Jack, I love you too.”

Griffin leaned in and kissed Archer firmly, squeezing his eyes shut. The only thing he was aware of was his aching heart and Archer pushing back. They pulled apart, and then kissed again, before repeating the process two more times.

A meow brought them back to reality, and Griffin and Archer separated their mouths to look down at Eira. Eira was sitting down, and it was as if her gaze was knowing.

“Eira, you're a miracle worker,” Archer said.

Griffin couldn't help smiling. “She's just a cat.”

“She's more than that, and you know it.” Archer looked back at Griffin. A smile was finally on his face again. “Think we should put her downstairs, though.”

“We should, before we forget,” Griffin said, beginning to stand up. Archer wiped his face with his sleeve, getting up as well. The two of them walked towards the trapdoor, and Eira followed after them, her tail in the air.

“After we put her down, what should we do?” Archer asked.

Griffin looked coyly at Archer. “How about I lie with you and kiss your troubles away?”

Archer laughed, and reached out his hand for Griffin's. “You already kissed my troubles away. But I'm still up for that first offer, Jack.”

“You don't know what I've got planned for you, Christopher,” Griffin replied, grinning as well.

If they were going to split up in some distant future, well, to hell with it, they would make the most out of the present. Because in the present, they loved each other, and that was all that mattered.

Their hands touched, and their fingers moved to intertwine together.

And they bade their worries farewell, for the meantime.


End file.
